Ross Douthat On The Unifying Fantasy Of The Left

Normally Ross Douthat tries to engage his Upper West Side readership with calm and sweet reason. Overcome, perhaps, by the martial memories of Memorial Day, he is now opting for a truth bomb which was nearly titled "Why Losers Lose":

How Liberalism Loses

An inflexible agenda and a global retreat.

In Australia a week ago, the party of the left lost an election it was supposed to win, to a conservative government headed by an evangelical Christian who won working-class votes by opposing liberal climate policies. In India last week, the Hindu-nationalist prime minister, Narendra Modi, won an overwhelming electoral victory. And as of this writing, Europeans are electing a Parliament that promises to have more populist representation than before.

The global fade of liberalism, in other words, appears to be continuing.

Are there lessons to be learned?

The fact that populism is flourishing internationally, far from the Electoral College and Fox News, suggests that Trump’s specific faults might actually be propping up American liberalism. If we had a populist president who didn’t alienate so many persuadable voters, who took full advantage of a strong economy, and who had the political cunning displayed by Modi or Benjamin Netanyahu or Viktor Orban, the liberal belief in a hidden left-of-center mandate might be exposed as a fond delusion.

But are these lessons being learned?

That liberal belief may also misunderstand the real correlation of forces in our politics. We had an example this week on our op-ed podcast, The Argument, where my colleague and co-host David Leonhardt interviewed Pete Buttigieg, the Midwestern mayor running for president with promises to build bridges between the heartland and the coasts. Leonhardt pressed Buttigieg on whether that bridge-building might include compromise on any social issues, and the answer seemed to be “no” — in part because Mayor Pete argued that on abortion and guns and immigration most middle Americans already agree with Democrats, that the liberal position is already the common ground.

The strategic flaw in this reading of the liberal situation is that politics isn’t about casually held opinions on a wide range of topics, but focused prioritization of specifics. As the Democratic data analyst David Shor has noted, you can take a cluster of nine Democratic positions that each poll over 50 percent individually, and find that only 18 percent of Americans agree with all of them. And a single strong, focused disagreement can be enough to turn a voter against liberalism, especially if liberals seem uncompromising on that issue.

A pattern of narrow, issue-by-issue resistance is also what you’d expect in an era where the popular culture is more monolithically left-wing than before. That cultural dominance establishes a broad, shallow left-of-center consensus, which then evaporates when people have some personal reason to reject liberalism, or confront the limits of its case.

None of this needs to spell doom for liberals; it just requires them to prioritize and compromise. If you want to put climate change at the center of liberal politics, for instance, then you’ll keep losing voters in the Rust Belt, just as liberal parties have lost similar voters in Europe and Australia. In which case you would need to reassure some other group, be it suburban evangelicals or libertarians, that you’re willing to compromise on the issues that keep them from voting Democratic.

Alternatively, if you want to make crushing religious conservatives your mission, then you need to woo secular populists on guns or immigration, or peel off more of the tax-sensitive upper middle class by not going full socialist.

Liberals need to compromise and prioritize? You see where this is going - "No enemies to the left" implies no compromise with any faction of the right.

But the liberal impulse at the moment, Buttigiegian as well as Ocasio-Cortezan, is to insist that liberalism is a seamless garment, an indivisible agenda that need not be compromised on any front. And instead of recognizing populism as a motley coalition united primarily by opposition to liberalism’s rule, liberals want to believe they’re facing a unitary enemy — a revanchist patriarchal white supremacy, infecting every branch and tributary of the right.

In this view it’s not enough to see racial resentment as one important form of anti-liberalism (which it surely is); all anti-liberalism must fall under the canopy. Libertarianism is white supremacy, the N.R.A. is white supremacy, immigration skepticism is white supremacy, tax-sensitive suburbia is white supremacy, the pro-life movement is white supremacy, anxiety about terrorism is white supremacy … and you can’t compromise with white supremacists, you can only crush them.

Which liberals may do in 2020, because Trump remains eminently beatable.

Well, beating Trump won't be the same as re-taking the Senate and the many GOP governorships, but yes, for the left it would be a start.

But in the long run, the global trend suggests that a liberalism that remains inflexible in the face of variegated resistance is the ideology more likely to be crushed.

"Stop hating, haters" as a response to any and all critics is unlikely to develop into a winning message.

 

Comments

[Neo]

This is sort of odd.

I searched for “Church Report” and got some report on Gitmo.
I searched for “Frank Church” and got a Black minister.
I the searched for “Sen Frank Church” and finally got the Chairman o the United States Senate Select Committee to Study Governmental Operations with Respect to Intelligence Activities.

[clarice]

I know you did your best to behave and contain your exuberant spirit today, Gus. That's the most anyone could ask of such a proud dad.

[Narciso79]

You have to say church committee report, which was as close to an inkind contribution to the enemy as one could imagine. That other report was very informative as what actually went on with interrogations as mark thiessen noted

[MissMarple2]

https://nypost.com/2019/05/26/car-sized-fireball-lit-up-skies-over-southern-australia-nasa/?utm_medium=SocialFlow&utm_source=NYPTwitter&utm_campaign=SocialFlow

[GUS]

Thank all of you. Once again, you are such a fantastic group of friends.
Clarice, you hit the nail on the head, I think you know me. My son is fantastic.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

--The intelligence agencies are stuck between a Church and a Barr.--

That's pretty good, Neo.

[MissMarple2]

Perhaps the most moving Memorial Day tribute I've seen.

God has so richly blessed us. I thank and praise Him for His love and blessings.

I pray that as a people, we would once again honor God in America!https://t.co/ob8wyAHIn4

— Don Purser (@DGPurser) May 26, 2019

Video at link.

[Narciso79]

Very droll:

https://mobile.twitter.com/alimhaider/status/1132807471981047809

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

Gonna depart slightly from my usual hot links to instead showcase what is now the enormous hot sausage patty in this era of insanity and warped tastes;
Chela shares the butt workout that keeps her bootylicious.

Bootylicious? That ass wouldn't fit in Paul Bunyan's boot.
Struth. Words fail.

[matt - deplore me if you must]

Gus, may your son thrive joyously in college and be a credit to God, his Country, and his Family. That is what my Grandfather wrote to me when I was a boy.

I am so glad that you reached out to Mr Frau, PiP.Thank you!

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

An analgesic for the pain I inflicted;

[MissMarple2]

"Trump becomes the first world leader to meet Japan’s new emperor Naruhito" https://t.co/WVUdbXE6hl

— unseen1 (@unseen1_unseen) May 27, 2019

Video at link.

[GUS]

Thank you Matt. I've told my son several times, that he has lived a better life as a Catholic, as an Eagle Scout, and as my Son, than I did, at his age.
I was a good kid, but I did not have the Parental and life's support that he has.
I realize that his SUCCESS, would not be possible, without Mrs Gus and Me. I am very proud of him, and I'm somewhat proud of Me and Mrs. I sure wish Henry was here today.

[MissMarple2]

Dan Crenshaw intended to post a Memorial Day thread but didn't link his posts together properly.

Instead, I am linking to his home page where you can see that he posted pictures and memories of comrades he lost in the war.

https://twitter.com/DanCrenshawTX

[MissMarple2]

A testimony on President Trump's help with the recovery during the aftermath of 9/11.

https://twitter.com/PolizziThomas/status/1132830379008823296

[GUS]

You can't spell analgesic, without anal....

[Dave (in MA)]

I go away for an hour or two and come back to butt pics. I guess I need to read back to see what the hell is going on now.

[GUS]

Dave, Ignatz has always had a certain "talent".

[clarice]

https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/331549/
Interesting poll results. Maybe the left's attacks on Jewish college students is having some effect on their political views.

[MissMarple2]

President Trump just concluded a live press conference with Prime Minister Abe. I only caught the last few minutes.

Here is the Periscope video which has the entire thing:

https://www.pscp.tv/w/1lDxLrQQpqyGm

[MissMarple2]

Steve Herman
‏Verified account @W7VOA
21s22 seconds ago

“That would be fine,” says @POTUS in response to my question about whether he would welcome @AbeShinzo mediating between the US and #Iran.
======================
I actually heard this. Seems to me this is big news. The President also said Japan has had a pretty good relationship with iran.

[clarice]

I must say how grateful I am to Iggy for those butt enhancement exercises..I really need that ;)

[GUS]

Clarice, Ig is just that kind of man. He's all about helping others!!!

[MissMarple2]

Sundance has all of the EU election results and ramifications here. Pretty good thread.

https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2019/05/26/massive-victory-for-conservative-nationalists-in-european-elections/

[clarice]

Yes, he is, Gus. A real gentleman.

[MissMarple2]

Paul Sperry
‏ @paulsperry_

BREAKING: First batch of POTUS declassification said to include FBI docs of recorded conversations exculpating Papapopoulos & Page--prior to FBI going for FISA warrant based on their alleged conspiracy.Papadopoulos says Halper & Downer both tried to record him w their cell phones
===========================

John Batchelor
‏Verified account @batchelorshow
9h9 hours ago

John Batchelor Retweeted Paul Sperry

am told the transcripts of the exculpatory evidence on Papadopoulos requires extra popcorn.

[Ignatz Ratzkiwatzki]

That was a cautionary don't-try-this-at-home-or-anywhere-else-on-this-planet public service announcement, clarice.
And, you're welcome.

[clarice]

Next up--pics of big butts in jeans and leggings which has caused the folks who designed them to go suicidal.

[Narciso79]

That does seem to challenge the laws of gravity, plus he seems to have gained 50 pounds in the trunk region of the body.

[JM Hanes]

It was still 88° hours after the sun went down last night, so my ceiling fans got their first real workout of the season, and I began dusting off my erstwhile collection of summer fans. Since heat exhaustion seemed to be on folks minds, I thought I'd share a few personal fan recommendations [and no, I don't get any Amazon commissions!]

#1. The "Necklace Fan" is one of my all time favs whether I'm out in the woods or out doing errands. It's a little bigger than a deck of cards and you wear it around your neck. Whats "cool" about it is that it pulls in air from the front, and then shoots it upward from the top directly at your neck and face. It may not be quite as thrilling as an ice-cold wet towel, but it's surprisingly effective. It weighs very little, and I often forget I'm even wearing it. I had it on when I stopped by my doctor's office once, and everybody thought it was some sort of medical device. This is sort of the adult version of all those really cheap-o kiddie fans.

#2. This is a great little 5" Battery Operated Fan that is still lightweight enough to stick in a backpack. It moves more air than you might think. The two D batteries are in a hinged compartment at the back which can be dropped down for stability. I have a bunch of these (in tasteful beige) just dotted around the house.

#3. This Battery Powered 10" Fan is the portable I turn on when I need to cool off in a hurry outside or don't have electricity (like reorganizing a storage unit), or when I just don't feel like dragging an electric fan into position. It does come with an AC adapter, but I like to use the 8 D cells batteries for stability as well as mobility. When the battery compartment is flipped up, it really doesn't take up much space. With the compartment flipped all the way down, you can balance it on uneven ground pretty much anywhere. You can adjust it incrementally to change the angle of the blower, so it can blow directly at you, or upwards at your choice of angles. I wouldn't want to hike around with it for long, but if you're parking anywhere near your outdoor destination, it's great. I keep one on my desk, and out on the porch. I've been known to balance one on a kitchen window sill for a little extra outward pull when making things like… toast

#4. I probably wouldn't ever have bought this fan myself, because of the expense, but I received one as a gift, and I must say I've never had a table fan that moved as much air as this 10" Dyson does. Needless to say, t's a plug in fan, not a portable, but it's really pretty amazing, and not very noisy, which is a big plus in my book. Easy to clean, too.

#5. Evey year I spot some intriguing new model, so here is this year's Experiment neck fan. It's recharges via USB which I'm not crazy about, but I'll let you know how it goes. Apparently the antennae are bendy little things....

Then there are the plain, low tech, white paper folding hand fans that I originally bought in bulk for a project that didn't happen. Now I almost always stick a couple in my purse, especially for outdoor social occasions, because some poor red-faced guest will inevitably want to share the breeze. [Old Lurker, you might want a basket of these on hand for the wedding if you're going to be outside. You'd never find clarice recommending anything this cheap!]

And when I really, really have to get something done outside, even if it's hot as hell, a monster like the one below comes in very handy, if you've got an extension cord that can handle it. I bought the one I've got at Lowe's or Home Depot, but this one will give you the picture. It's like having your own personal wind tunnel, but I can't pretend it's quiet.

Alas, I can't remember where I put my grandfather's celluloid collapsable auto fan, but hopefully it will turn up soon.

So, stay safe. It's a jungle out there!

[Captain Hate]

Iggy adding to the meaning of "surprise anal".

Congrats, GUS!

[Narciso79]

She, so it photoshopped or os this the opposite of keto.

[MissMarple2]

Japan's new emperor, Naruhito, welcomes President Trump and the First Lady during the president's state visit to Japan.

pic.twitter.com/t4IRtfWi7Z

— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 27, 2019

Video at link. 9 minutes.

[GUS]

But but but but but, METHODS and OPERATIONS etcetera etcetera, we cannot have the FISA APS and their contents released!!!!!! At least not until after COMEY, BRENNAN, CLAPPER, SUSAN RICE, SAMANTHA POWER, LORETTA LYNCH and ERIC HOLDER fall on the SWORD.

[Davod]

"A car-sized meteor came hurtling through Earth’s atmosphere last week, providing a stunning scene over southern Australia."

It is a sign that God's are not happy with the election results.

[Narciso79]

The only way that works is with the Operative, chivetor ojetifor sly assassin for the Alliance.

[MissMarple2]

The video linked at 10:46 is interesting. High honors given to the President, who reviews the troops by himself. (Don't believe I have ever seen that in a foreign country before.)

The Emperor is VERY short, way shorter then Melania and probably 18 inches shorter than President Trump.

Watching the ceremony I saw Bolton, Mulvaney, and Lighthizer.

[MissMarple2]

Heading to bed. I may sleep later tomorrow, so if I don't show up early, I will eventually.

Nytol!

[clarice]

Nytol.

[GUS]

Yes Miss Marple, and no BOWING or GROVELING to FOREIGN MUZZZZLIM Prelates.

[Pinandpuller]

French guy in yellow wins? Sounds like the election.

Posted by: henry | May 26, 2019 at 04:00 PM

Sounds like Talladega Nights.

[JM Hanes]

Mr. & Mrs. Prez with the Emperor & Empress (who is very elegant) -- I'm not sure why I find that so touching, but I really do. Very proud of the Trumps.

And, oh, eat your heart out Obama. I think it's fascinating that Abe has offered to help mediate with Iran. I'm not sure mediation is exactly what we're after, but I think that it's an extraordinary offer. Abe and Trump seem to have a terrific relationship, and it also seems like Trump has made a lot of fans in Japan. Can't you just imagine Obama wrestling with the Sumo Wrestling trophy? If you can even imagine him in attendance.

[Narciso79]

Well Iran does provide a lot of oil to Japan,

[GUS]

Obama, Rice, Power, Jarrett, and Kerry, whose daughter married an IRANIAN PRICK, SOLD US OUT.

[JM Hanes]

From the Sundance page:

"Labour loses Corbyn's borough - on his birthday " LOL!

[President-Elect Jim,SunnyvaleCA]

I denounce myself ...

[President-Elect Jim,SunnyvaleCA]

.

[Narciso79]

They didnt expect this I think
https://www.politico.eu/article/belgium-far-right-surge-elections-2019/?fbclid=IwAR1I3lyt0iaX6X4b0g_vce-ZV8LIfJjTU32TdB19PyVLOD0vi8sI_xKhnl0

[Captain Hate]

Is the loon prosecutor just going to add a Bach post on Sunday and then flounce back to misunderstand Ludwig von Mises and let the monkeys, led by Beldar the Helen Keller of antisemitism, fling poo unsupervised? Why doesn't he just shut that leaking toilet down?

[Narciso79]

Hes crediting the solon of scranton with wisdom maybe the rats in city hall are transmitting t gondii or something

[Narciso79]

Striking how the company misses the boat:

https://audioboom.com/posts/7271880-circle-of-treason-1-of-4-cia-traitor-aldrich-ames-and-the-men-he-betrayed-audible-audiobook-u

[Captain Hate]

Yes I noticed that bit of insanity. Going full retard isn't pretty.

[Dave (in MA)]

rosetta time

[Narciso79]

There's a rat epidemic in la so that's the only way bidens statements can be taken as anything less than the desperate ramblings of a credential idiot

[Narciso79]

The Flemish west is pro left, whereas the walloon east went more to the right

[Narciso79]

I think I got that right, and no one expected this,

[Narciso79]

They have a date with a skydragon

https://www.thelocal.se/20190526/sweden-eu-parliament-election-results-2019-europe-exit-polls

[Dave (in MA)]

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/may/25/eu-watchdog-considering-nigel-farage-investigation-arron-banks That didn't take long.

[Narciso79]

'Its super easy barely an inconvenience'

[Narciso79]

A chip off the old block:

https://www.jewishpress.com/news/eye-on-palestine/palestinian-authority/exclusive-top-secret-pa-intelligence-document-exposes-ties-between-son-of-pa-chief-mahmoud-abbas-and-a-terror-financing-and-money-laundering-network/2019/05/22/?fbclid=IwAR1SgL1xxohH4Hi3rZofBB5NB526pdvj5hdOfdsNNX5xi3bdEIJDGpbFX5M

[Pinandpuller]

Aside from the correlation to health, I didn't see any of those conclusions in Dutton's abstract. Have you explored the study you linked?..

Evolutionary psychology is in worse trouble than I thought.
Posted by: JM Hanes | May 26, 2019 at 07:53 PM
Well, we can put that all behind us.

I jump around a lot between Youtube and searches. Here is what I was listening to this afternoon:
The Inevitable Decline of Civilization w/ Dr. Edward Dutton
https://youtu.be/kAEgxYE-qhU

Speaking of pseudoscience, the topic of Physiognomy came up. I don't know if Miss Catsmeat would like to comment on the physiognomy of Chaucer, but it's sort of interesting. Especially in light of AI that can predict sexual orientation: https://www.inverse.com/article/36258-facial-recognition-technology-gay-straight

[jim nj]

https://www.newyorker.com/news/dispatch/the-invisible-city-beneath-paris

Long interesting tale of the interconnected quarries below Paris.

[jim nj]

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/bethbaumann/2019/05/26/here-we-go-ocasio-cortez-and-the-liberal-mob-slam-nyts-coverage-of-hope-hicks-n2546911

Zombies shriek at the unconverted.

[jim nj]

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Huawei-crackdown/Huawei-s-voice-in-future-tech-standards-restricted

Huawei resigning or being pushed out of standards setting orgs.

[Pinandpuller]

As I'm making another lap through here re people having trouble posting, what happened to Mary Rose? Did she go on holiday?

Also, Museum of Flight and Aerial Firefighting Greybull, WY: https://www.museumofflight.us/

[Narciso79]

Hope already testified before Mueller, you can get it from him,

[jim nj]

https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Huawei-crackdown/Huawei-s-top-phone-assembler-suspends-part-of-production-at-China-plant

Reports of Huawei production cuts at assembler's factories and that Huawei may have stock-piled a years' worth of chips.

[Narciso79]

The times chose the bot take that cutting off Huawei is bad for rural people.

[Pinandpuller]

Wikipedia also points to what look like some other rather questionable connections to white supremacy, anti-semitism and eugenics related groups. I didn't look any further than that, so I have no idea if the Wikipedia page is accurate or not. I'm just passing the info along, in case it gives you pause or you want to investigate further yourself.

Posted by: JM Hanes | May 26, 2019 at 08:04 PM

I hear what you're saying but in my neck of the woods it takes a wheelbarrow full of white supremacy accusations to buy a loaf of bread. I think we all know who was put out of the eugenics business 70 years ago and who's still going to work every day.

[jim nj]

Remember yesterday's tweet of a veteran being buried in Cincinnati and his family couldn't be there?

https://www.foxnews.com/us/korean-war-veteran-ohio-funeral-memorial-day-weekend

Hundreds of people attended!

[Pinandpuller]

Too Small;Couldn't Read "Trump Is My President"

[jim nj]

Those Fiat-Renault talks may be further along than I thought.

https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/chrysler/2019/05/26/fca-renault-deal/1245908001/

Suggests we may gear something as soon as Monday.

[jim nj]

I swear that was a typo, not a pun.

[Pinandpuller]

Since I'm going full pseudoscience retard allow me to throw something out for you, jim. Interest rates as a proxy marker for intelligence. That's more or less Gregory Clark's theory.

Interest rates, which reflect a society’s time preferences, have been very high — about 10% — from the earliest historical times and for all societies before 1400 AD for which there is data. Interest rates then entered a period of steady decline, reaching about 3% by 1850. Because inflation and other pressures on interest rates were largely absent, Clark argues, the falling interest rates indicate that people were becoming less impulsive, more patient, and more willing to save.

These behavioral changes in the English population between 1200 and 1800 were of pivotal economic importance. They gradually transformed a violent and undisciplined peasant population into an efficient and productive workforce. Turning up punctually for work every day and enduring eight eight hours or more of repetitive labor is far from being a natural human behavior. Hunter-gatherers do not willingly embrace such occupations, but agrarian societies from their beginning demanded the discipline to labor in the fields and to plant and harvest at the correct times. Disciplined behaviors were probably evolving gradually within the agrarian English population for many centuries before 1200, the point at which they can be documented.

http://time.com/91081/what-science-says-about-race-and-genetics/

[President-Elect Jim,SunnyvaleCA]

Stockton PD gets pushback from pro-American police departments

https://www.facebook.com/205951982834067/posts/2185992608163318/

SPD News: Weapons Arrest #OneLessGun #KeepingStocktonSafe
On May 25, 2019, at 7:00 pm, Stockton Police Community Response Team Officers stopped a vehicle for a traffic violation in the area of S. Airport Way / E. Market Street and the driver was found to be in possession of an illegal assault weapon. Arrested was Rene Quintana, 29, for weapons charges.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Kevin Thompson I’m a cop in Tennessee. The day I’m directed to confiscate weapons from the citizenry is the day I throw my badge down. This is nothing to be proud of. I pray for my fellow American living in the “not free” states. Press the Fight.

Phil AY Nothing like arresting people and being proud of taking away your constitutional rights!!! Be proud Stockton PD! Screw their rights to protect themselves! Screw their rights to hunting for provisions! Screw their right to own personal property! Screw their right to liberty and the freedom that many have died for especially on this weekend of remembrance! Screw America!

At the end of the day, you should just be ashamed of yourselves. Support and defend the constitution, yeah good job with that one.

Nathan Tuck I’m a cop in Florida. The day my department forces me to confiscate weapons or limit free speech is the day I turn in my gun and badge. This is nothing to be proud of, Stockton Police Department. We swear to uphold the constitution

[Pinandpuller]

We transitioned from an Agrarian economy to an Industrial economy quite a long time ago. Why is there this clamoring to backslide ie "Who will pick our crops?"

The guy who cuts my hay has trouble finding hands to help. Last month he went to Texas and bought an accumulator. It holds 10 bales off the baler and sets them in a neat pile. He bought an attachment for a skid steer which picks up those 10 bales. He can stack three high on the ground or one or two high on a trailer. At what point is it economically feasible to roll out more machines to cut manual farm labor? When John Deere votes Democrat?

[President-Elect Jim,SunnyvaleCA]

Narciso, 11:36
I'm pretty sure Flems, Flanders, West and right wing all go together.
Walloons are in the east, speak French and are typically lefties.
Walloons/welfare. Flemish/hardworking.

[Pinandpuller]

Here's another excerpt from the, um, Time piece. Speaking of puns.

In his book The Wealth and Poverty of Nations, the economic historian David Landes examines every possible factor for explaining the rise of the West and the stagnation of China and concludes, in essence, that the answer lies in the nature of the people. Landes attributes the decisive factor to culture, but describes culture in such a way as to imply race.

“If we learn anything from the history of economic development, it is that culture makes all the difference,” he writes. “Witness the enterprise of expatriate minorities — the Chinese in East and Southeast Asia, Indians in East Africa, Lebanese in West Africa, Jews and Calvinists throughout much of Europe, and on and on. Yet culture, in the sense of the inner values and attitudes that guide a population, frightens scholars. It has a sulfuric odor of race and inheritance, an air of immutability.”

[jim nj]

Pin,

I don't buy the first part about interest rates and intelligence.

I don't know how, or why, he pegged the old interest rate at 10%. I also can't see the correlation he is making.

Jim, Sunny,

I didb't see any details on the illegal "assault" I assume it's a semi-auto legal in most states.

[jim nj]

PIN,

In the 2nd piece I think he is confusing governance and culture.

When a government imposes rules the people must obey or suffer the consequences.

RE: China - somewhere around 1400 AD they had the worlds largest navy with brilliant commanders. The Emperor shut it down because he didn't like foreign notions being brought back.

Imagine where the Chinese would be now if they had maintained the worlds largest navy for another six centuries.

No British Empire for sure. Chinese discover and settle the American west coast, etc.

Chinese have done well outside of China, because they were no longer in China and subject to its' rules.

[jim nj]

Damn, I should be using preview. Typos and leaving words out.

I got my new reading glasses Thursday and they suck, I wanted a focal length of about 19 inches for reading and computing and these have a focal length much shorter.

So I'm using an older pair to type and i keep hitting close-by keys by mistake.

[sbwaters]

9 am, and off to see the Rembrandts at het Rijkmuseum in Amsterdam with Mrs. sbw. Yay!

[Pinandpuller]

If Bill Clinton would have had the raw FBI file MLK would have been bringing him coffee.

[Pinandpuller]

I didn't think that this could possibly be real, but it is:

A female Democrat state representative from Ohio, Rep. Janine Boyd, drafted an amendment last week seeking to have black babies exempted from pro-life legislation dubbed the "heartbeat bill," which bars babies with detectable heartbeats (around six weeks gestation) from being killed via abortion.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/45999/ohio-democrat-creates-amendment-giving-black-amanda-prestigiacomo

[Pinandpuller]

Woman and the New Race

Margaret Sanger

https://www.bartleby.com/1013/

V. The Wickedness of Creating Large Families

THE MOST serious evil of our times is that of encouraging the bringing into the world of large families. The most immoral practice of the day is breeding too many children. These statements may startle those who have never made a thorough investigation of the problem. They are, nevertheless, well considered, and the truth of them is abundantly borne out by an examination of facts and conditions which are part of everyday experience or observation.

[jim nj]

Pin,

Both of these women are evil.

[Pinandpuller]

It's interesting reading Sanger given the similarity in conditions a hundred years ago. What's not likely to happen now is the cut in immigration that took place for about 45 years after Sanger wrote that.

[jim nj]

Inspired by Clarice, part history, part remembrance, with links, and dedicated to Clarice who made me remember.

Born in 1953 I have vague memories of the earliest Memorial Day parades I attended. I do remember the size of the crowd of on-lookers and how long the parade took to conclude. It seemed like forever to a young child. Probably an hour and a half, or so. It started on Palisade Ave., in Englewood, the main business district, at the 1st World War Memorial. A roundabout where five streets intersected. Just a few yards from the Revolutionary War era "Liberty Pole." The original which stood at a tavern in those olden days was replaced by a steel pole that is still there. Yes, over two hundred years ago, the citizens of what became Englewood, were mostly patriots.

[As an aside] Gen. Washington, when he abandoned Ft. Lee, marched his troops west on present days Fort Lee Rd., than north on Grand Ave., west on Palisades Ave., NW on Liberty Rd. to the site of the present day Teaneck Armory, and then west on New Bridge Rd. to cross the New Bridge Landing over the Hackensack River, where he was able to hold off the British Troops that had landed, in force, more northerly at Closter Landing on the Hudson River.

http://www.bergencountyhistory.org/retreat/pages/map.html

I can't believe how long it took to find a map of the retreat. It's also in the "Book of Englewood" which I'm told my great-grandfather contributed to and I now see is digitized as the copyright expired.

https://archive.org/details/bookofenglewood02ster/page/2

That race for the New Bridge Landing was crucial. Below that bridge over the Hackensack River there is no crossing and Washington was on a peninsula. Below that bridge the Hackensack was too wide to cross, further south were the Meadowlands. Had Washington and his army not crossed that bridge first, the war would have been over.

The parade would march east up Palisade Ave, and then turn left, northerly, on Engle St., where I would view it. That being a short walk from our home nearby. The Parade concluded at Brookside Cemetery.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brookside_Cemetery_(Englewood,_New_Jersey)

Contrary to Wiki it covered the east and west sides of Engle St. and it was a subject of many adventures for me and my young friends, it being a short walk from our homes. We were too in awe of the whole thing to commit vandalism, but man, it made a great place to play hide and seek. If anyone got near your hidey hole, you simple burst out with a lot of noise and the already scared seeker would be paralyzed with fear.

Back to the parade, they always had machines of war in the parade. Tanks, jeeps, towed howitzers and all kinds of weird vehicles.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teaneck_Armory

Most of which were supplied by the Teaneck Armory, about a mile and a half away. For basketball fans it was the one time home of the New Jersey Americans, later known as the Nets.

So skip a few more years and I'm more cognizant of what's going on. Englewood had a large, say 20%, population of blacks. That was never an issue that I was aware of. Black people turned out as on-lookers and participants. If you served, you marched. There were two VFW posts and two American Legion posts. One white, one black of each. It was the times, but all marched. There were two Elks Clubs, one white, one black. The white one was fading, but the black one was growing. I'm very sorry to say that when a group of distinguished black men walked by with the banner of the B. P. O. E, somebody convinced me it stood for Black People of Englewood. Boy, was I gullible back then.

Skip another few years later and I participated as part of a Cub Scout group. I had a problem remembering my right from my left and had to mark both hands with a pen. One hand had an L, the other had an R. And I knew the skip-step move to sync up.

And then came the Vietnam War and the 1971 switch to a three day weekend and the parades went poof. It was the end of a common bonding era. Time to head off for a three day vacation or stay home for the Memorial Day sales.

Nowadays, traditional holidays are the cause of rhetorical fights. Back then they brought communities together to remind them all that America, with all its' unresolved faults, was the best country in the world. We all believed in Manifest Destiny and American Exceptionalism. Now leftists use these holidays to divide us and to impugn historical Americans for having 18th century values that 21st century leftists declare obscene in order to denigrate our nation's founding and present policy.

Somebody, MM, Hoyden, please re-post this later so it doesn't get lost out of the mainstream. Thanks.

[jim nj]

Pin,

Sanger was not a friend of blacks or foreigners. Both of which she considered inferior races.

[jim nj]

Nytol

[Buckeye]

Chinese have done well outside of China, because they were no longer in China and subject to its' rules.

Also a huge lack of opportunity in China except for the elite/intelligentsia.

[henry]

Dayton Klan rally looks fun. Klan outnumbered by counter protestors 200 to 5. Police put up fencing to keep the groups separated.

[Buckeye]

Police put up fencing to keep the groups separated.

What should have been done in Charlottesville.

But then when you want to manufacture an "racist" incident.

[Another Bob]

The per usual, the twitter outrage mob is portraying that klan “rally” as a Milan takeover of Ohio.

Of the five “klansmen”, four are probably under over feds.

[Another Bob]

Ok, that was a weird autocucumber, try again...

As per usual, the twitter outrage mob is portraying that klan “rally” as a Klan takeover of Ohio.

Of the five “klansmen”, four are probably undercover feds.

[henry]

AB, only 4 of 5? I suspect a sweep.

[MissMarple2]

Good morning!

Told you I would sleep late! Havent done that in a long time.

Listening to radio that I moved in here yesterday. The Indianapolis 500 brings $300 million into the state, mostly Indy but also the suburbs and outlying counties due to motel stays, restaurants, suppliers to the track, etc.

[MissMarple2]

I also hear the President will do a Memorial Day address from a US aircraft carrier.

[MissMarple2]

Retweeted by the President:

トランプ大統領は安倍首相と共に皇居での歓迎式典に出席しました。@POTUS & @AbeShinzo at the Imperial Palace for the Welcome Ceremony. #POTUSinJapan 🇺🇸🇯🇵 pic.twitter.com/eCRuWD85Jx

— アメリカ大使館 (@usembassytokyo) May 27, 2019

Photo at link.

Translation:
President Trump attended the welcome ceremony at the Imperial Palace with Prime Minister Abe. @POTUS& @AbeShinzo At the Imperial Palace for the Welcome ceremony. #POTUSinJapan 🇺🇸🇯🇵

[MissMarple2]

Great evening last night, thank you! https://t.co/wPjj3yaaru

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 27, 2019

Link goes to tweet and photo of the Trumps and Abes at dinner.

Translation of Abe's tweet:

"The Prime minister's movement" on May 26th, Mr. and Mrs. Abe invited the president and wife Donald John Trump of the United States in Japan to state guests as a dinner party. https://www.kantei.go.jp/jp/98_abe/actions/201905/26usa03.html …